Fuse-box.



R. o. COLE. FUSE BOX. APPLICATION FILED APR. 29, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

9 7 8 d a 3 3 I A ttest:

In ven tor: W I b}, I

Patented Jan. 4, 1910.

R. G. COLE. FUSE BOX. APPLICATION FILED APR. 29, 1907.

945,01 7. Patented Jan. 4,1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A ttest:

w UNITED STAW ENT OFFICE.

ROBERT C. COLE, OF WEST HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE JOHNS-PRATT COMPANY, HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATIOI OI CONNECTICUT.

v FUSE-BOX.

' "'justing means for the covers of service fuseboxes of the kind wherein the fuses are releasably held to the cover of the box so that they may be left in connection with the line terminals in the base thereof when the cover is opened; and the invention consists in a fuse-carrying means for such boxes, which maybe used with inclosed or cartridge fuses having fiat contact-b'lades projecting from their ends and which will adjust and center-the said fuses longitudinally in' the line terminal clips and which may also'be used with different kinds of inclosed fuses, such as may'vary in their dimensions, for placingthem in and removing them from One form of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form' a part hereof and in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a service fuse-box, cover opened and fuse held in position upon it by means embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same box with cover partially closed; Fig.

.3 is an enlarged detail illustrating the manmi of the engagement by the fuse-engaging forki-of my invention with the fuse-and line terminal clips; Fig. 4 is a horizontal section thrqlgh the fuse-engaging fork and .line terrfiinal clip illustrating the relative positions of the two when together and showing also the body of the fuse in plan; Fig. 5 is an end view of one of the forks showing line terminal clip and contact blade 0 the fuse in elevation; and Fig. 6 isa perspective view of a detached fuse-engaging fork.

.In the box shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the base 1 is provided with one or more end openings provided with insulated bushings 2, through which the line conductors (not shown) are inserted for connection with the line terminal clips 3, the latter being upring clips of ordinary construction Specification of Letters Patent.

Application fled April 29, 1907. Serial No. 370,797.

the 1 to receive and hold the rojecting PatentedJ Ian. 4, 1910.

contact-blades 4 of the cartridge fuse as shown in Fig. 2. The spring clips 3 are made heavy and still' in order to bear firmly upon the fuse blades for making suitable contact therewith. In practice the friction of the clips upon the blades is so great that it is difficult to extract a fuse with the un aided fingers.

The fuse-box cover 5, which is hinged at 6 to the base or body of the box, is provided with means operable from the exterior of the box whenithe cover is closed, to connect or disconnect the fuse with the cover so that it may be easily removed or inserted in the clips 3 by opening or closing the cover, the latter acting as a lever, and at the same time protecting the operator from the danger of shock from accidental contactwith the-live terminals. I r

According to my invention the means whereby the above results are accom lished comprise apair of fuse-engaging for e, desiglnated .generally by 7 which are so mounte on the inner side of the cover 5 that when the cover is closed they are carried by it into engagement with the fuse if the latter is in the c ips, and penetrate into positions im- 'mediately adjacent to the end walls of the fuse-body. The forks are conveniently made of sheet metal stamped or bent to shape, and have bases 7 which are secured to the cover through the insulatin blocks 8, the forks being thus insulated from each other and from the cover. The prong portions of the forks which are adapted to straddle the con'-' tact blades of the fuse are substantially flat on theirproximate faces, as indicated at 7", these faces being adapted for engagement with the ends of the fuse-body, fitting in the corners between the same and the fuse blades; Thepron portions of the forks are beveled to a chise -edge at their free ends, as shown at 7 and are supplied with lateral wings 7 which turn backwardly at an angle to the blades 4, and extend also somewhat below the free ends of the prong portions. At their own extremities the wings 7 of each fork are sloped, as shown at 7, and the S10 es of the wings of each fork slant inwardl ward the blade-receiving recess thereof, the chiselredges 7 of the prong portions being merged into theslope of .the wmgis, as clearly shown in Fig. 6, so as to provi e a smooth flaring entrance to the blade-recess of the fork. As thus constructed, the four wings of the pair of forks are dlvergently flared with respect to the center of the fuse and the forks have a general wedge shape, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The lateral wings 7 preferably do not reach fully up to the fork base 7, so that a portion of substantially flat shape, indicated by 7, is left immediately adjacent to the base, which is relied upon as a preferred means for giving the fork a certain amount of resilience for the purpose explained below. Midway between the two forks is located a fuse-hook 9 which is journaled in the cover and operable by a handle at the exterior or outer side thereof, so that it can be turned underneath the fuse-body to lock the fuse in position in the forks or disengaged from the fuse to release it.

In operation, a fuse may be put into circuit connection with the terminals in the boX by placing the fuse in the forks, as indicated in Fig. 1, when the cover is open. The sloping and divergent ends of the wings as above described-serve toguide the fuse freely into the slots of the forks and in proper position on the cover, and the fuse-hook, by a quarter turn of the handle, will hold it in that position. If now the cover is closed, the fuse is carried into proper engagement with the line terminals, as indicated in Fig. 3, and the prong portions 7* of the forks, 2'. e. the portions which-are immediately adjacent to the blades 4, move into the spaces between the clips 3 and the body of the fuse, so that it is impossible for the fuse-body to strike the clips, although the hinge of the cover is above the level of the latter, and although there is small clearance between the clips and the ends of the fuse-body. Release of the fuse-hook permits the cover to be opened 1 without removing the fuse, and as the cover opens, the resilience of the forks above referre to, allows them to be readily withdrawn rom their above described position without disturbing the position-of the fuse in the clips, the forks yielding to the friction by which the fuse blades are held in the latter. Upon closing the cover with a fuse already in place, the win 5 of the forks engage first with the body of the fuse and slide over the ends of the fuse-body, while the porguide the sharpened ends of the prong pertions 7 into position for wedging into the crevice between the clip and the body of the fuse, so as to make room for the prongs, and the completed closing of the cover forces the fuse the proper distance toward the other clip so as to center it longitudinally. Thus if a fuse has been improperly or only partially placed in the clips by hand, it may be pushed fully home and into its proper circuit position by merely closing the cover, or it may be removed in the same manner, the forks automatically finding their proper po sitions for this purpose. The upper ends of the fork recesses of the forks are the parts which bear upon the fuse blades to push them into the clips and are so located, below the flexible shank sections W, as to hold the fuse with sufficient clearance between it and the cover. The. angular disposition of the lateral wings permits the forks to be used with fuses which have projecting screw heads or other projections on their ends, as indicated by the dotted lines of Fig. 4;.

It will be understood, of course, that the forks may be made of castings instead of sheet materialand that any desired number of them can be employed in the same box. It will also be understood that the centering features of the forks may be employed with other types of cartridge fuses.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by United States 5 Letters Patent is:

1. In a fuse box, the combination of a base having line terminals therein adapted -to hold the projecting contact blades of a cartridge fuse, a hinged cover for said base, a pair of self-adjusting fuse-cngaging'forks on the cover, adapted to be carried thereby into engagement with the ends of the fuse body 011 opposite sides of and straddling its said projectingblades and while the latter is in its circuit position in the line terminals, and means operable from the exterior of the box, While the forks are in this position, for

removably locking the fuse'in engagement with said forks, whereby the fuse may be left in or separated from the line terminals.

2. In a fuse box, the combination of a base having line terminals adapted to hold the projecting contact blades of cartridge fuses, a hinged cover for said base and fuse-placing and removing means on the cover comprising a pair of diver-gently flared self-adjusting forks formed to straddle the said projecting blades and engage the ends of the fuse body on opposite sides of said blades, and means for removably locking the fuse to the cover with its blades in said forks.

3. In a fuse box, the combination of a base having line terminals adapted to hold the projecting blades of cartridge fuses, a hinged cover for said base and fuse-placing and removing means on said cover comprising a pair of wedge-shaped. forks adapted to be carried by the cover into self-adjusted engagement'with the fuse-body held in said extremities.

line-terminals, and means operable while the forks are in'such position for removably locking the fuse to the cover.

4. In a fuse box havin a base with line terminals adapted to ho d the projecting blades of cartrid e fuses and a cover for the base, a pair of use-engaging forks on the cover formed with prong portions adaptedtostraddle the said projecting blades and with lateral wings on said portions adapted for engaging the fuse body,

5. In a fuse box having a base with line terminals thereon adaptedto hold the pro-.

jecti-ng contact blades of a cartridge fuse and a Cover hinged to said base, a pair of forks carried by the cover, formed with por-,

lateral wings turned backwardly at an angle to'the contact blades and sloped at their free 6. In a fusebox havin a base with line terminals thereon adapte to hold the projecting contact, blades of cartridge fuses, a cover hinged to said base, a pair of forks carried by said cover formed with prong portions adapted to engage opposite sides ofr the contact blades an wings extending below the extremities of the with lateral sloped said portions-.whereb said win s may enportions engage with the blades.

7. In a fuse box havin a base with line terminal clips thereon a apted to hold the projecting contact blades of cartridge fuses and .a cover hinged to said base, a pair of self-ad'usting wedge-shaped forks carried by sai cover, said forks being sufficiently yielding to ermit them to find their way into straddlin position on the fuse-blades between the 011 sand the fuse body.

8. In a fuse ox having a base with line terminals'thereon adapted to hold the protions adapted to stra tions adapted-to engage the opposite sides of the said projecting contact blades and with jecting contact blades of cartridge fuses and a hinged cover for'said base, a pair of fuse engaging forks carried by the cover, formed with portions presenting substantially flat surfaces on the proximate sides of sald forks for engagement with the ends of, the fuse body and having lateral wings extended beyond the ends of the substantially flat surfaces and turned backwardly, the said wings having their free ends sloped off and merged into the endsof said flat surfaces. l g

9. In a fuse box of the kinddescribed, a pair' of fuse engaging forks formed with attachment bases, portions of substantially fiat cross-section adj oinin said bases, prong pordle the fuse blades and wings on said prong portions turned-at an angle thereto and extending beyond the extremities thereof, said wings and prong ortions bein 'sloped inwardly. toward the fork recesses of said forks.

10. In a fuse box having a base with line terminal clips thereon and a? coverv hinged thereto, a pair of wedge-shaped members carried by said'eoverand adapted tohave a wedging actionupon one or the other end of a cartridge fuse held in said clips for lon'gltudinally adjusting the same therein.

11. In a fuse box having a base with lineterminal clips adapted to hold projecting V fuse blades, the combination with the cover,

of a fuse -engaging fork thereon havlng ened ends prong portions formed with shar ends into and lateral wings for guidin sai the crevice between a clip an fuse body.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my the end of the name to the specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.-

y ROBERT C. COLE.

Witnesses: ALVJAN WALDo HYDE,

JOHN FrrzsIMMoNs, 

